Notes: This started as a tag to "The Arizona", Season 17, Episode 20, in my opinion the best episode in a long time and ironically, again my opinion, a lovely and fitting end for Season 17. However, I wanted more context, so I added a bit of story before and after the scene in Gibbs' home (that scene still takes my breath away) and changed something so now it's a 4 part story based on "The Arizona" rather than a short tag to that episode. My hope is that even with my additions, the theme and heart of this wonderful episode are still intact. And yes, of course there's canon diversion. Have I ever written anything strictly in canon? Nope, I don't think so either.

Also, because the episode was filmed without any reference to the pandemic, I've also left out any references to it. I decided that by now we can all use a vicarious trip to a location of your choice (anywhere but our living rooms, right?) as well as a visit with our NCIS friends.

Canon Characters active in the story: Gibbs (aka Poppy), the McGees: Tim, Delilah, Morgan and Johnny, Pam Cook (Vance's Exec. Assist.), Ellie Bishop, Nick Torres, Leon Vance, Secretary of the Navy Porter, Special Agent Richard Owens (The Curse, S1, Ep 5, 2003). Admiral Caplinger and his wife (The Arizona, S17, Ep 20, 2020) make a brief appearance. Also, we have a guest from the TV show "Madam Secretary", Jay Whitman.

Canon Characters mentions only: Ducky (aka Granducky), Tony DiNozzo, Sarah McGee, Kasie Hines, Jimmy and Breena Palmer, Jackson Gibbs and LJ Moore. OC characters are mention only.

For explanations of Tim's non-canon past (and my OCs mentioned herein), see my profile on Fan Fiction Net.

Acronyms: DoD = Department of Defense, DoN = Department of the Navy, JBPHH is Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Finally, this story, at least chapter one, has not been beta'd.

Our story begins in the bullpen Tuesday evening, after the death of Joe Smith.

MAKING IT SIMPLE

Chapter One

Tim watched Gibbs as the man packed to leave the office. With his teammates gone for the night, he had a proposal to make that he knew his wife would agree with. Crossing the aisle, he stood in front of Gibbs' desk, "Boss, how about company for the trip?"

Gibbs looked up, his eyes warm, with one of his half-smiles, "Nah, I got it, Tim, thanks."

"Ok. I'll be over later for the grill."

Gibbs watched as Tim left for home. He sighed inwardly, thinking about the last few days and what he'd learned from Joe Smith. Things that he wished he'd pushed with his dad, things he knew should have been said and needed to be said to someone who cared about him, to family. Realizing that all was not quite lost, he picked up the phone.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Tim smiled as he walked into his home calling out, "Hello, Light of my Life, Baby Lights!"

Dee returned his smile as she wheeled in from their kitchen, "Hi, sweetie! You're home early, no new cases, yay! Any news about your Arizona sailor?"

He kissed his wife deeply, thankful she was home after an unexpected 3 weeks in Dubai, ordered there by her supervisor at the Department of Defense. It had been her second 'unexpected' assignment there in 4 months. She'd been home just a week now and he was still reveling in her physical presence and grateful that the long flights to and from hadn't caused any physical distress for her. Seeing and talking with her on Skype was a great thing, having her home with the three of them was a blessing. Tim was sure everyone who'd helped him with the twins would agree. At least this time he and their caregivers had been organized!

"Yes, Gibbs was right about the X-ray. Jimmy and Kasie worked their magic and found the proof we needed. The cremation is done; the ashes will be released to Gibbs tomorrow. Then he's taking them to Pearl for interment in the Arizona."

Dee frowned, "By himself?"

Tim nodded. "I asked if he wanted company but he said no thanks." He huffed as the twins barreled into him, hugging his legs. "Daddy, Daddy! No bad guys today?"

With a laugh, he picked them up, kissing each of them before answering, "That's right, no bad guys today, it's a very good day! How about you, did you have fun today, learn any new things?"

At the age of 2 ½, Morgan and Johnny had joined a preparatory pre-school class at their daycare. They wouldn't start their actual pre-school classes until the following January, after their 3rd birthday. However, as bright and curious as they were, they'd started the informal Prep pre-school sessions, learning for fun, held two times a week at their daycare center. With happy nods, the kids told him what they'd learned that day and who and what they'd played with before and after. After their recitation, they ran off to wash their hands for dinner.

Dee smiled, "We're so lucky! Our children are adorable, they like vegetables and they love learning new things. Is Gibbs leaving tomorrow?"

Tim chuckled at his wife's comment about the kids liking vegetables as well as her quick return to their previous topic of conversation. "Yes, he'll pick up the ashes in the morning and then head for whatever flight he's taking. I don't know if he's flying commercial, a C-130 or on a government jet."

"I'm glad you asked him, I wish he'd said yes."

"Me too. I'll ask him again, I'm going to his place tonight to borrow a grill for that party I told you about, the wrong number party."

She laughed, shaking her head, "Right! I still think it's strange that they asked you to bring anything. You're the one they bothered. So in apology, they invited you to the party, which was nice, and then…oh by the way, feed us. Weird!"

Tim grinned, "Yeah, I thought about that. We don't have to go."

"It'd probably be fun but I'd rather you go to Hawaii with Gibbs."

"Just me? You don't want to come along, bring the kids?"

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him closer for another kiss. "No, you and Jethro go, spend some time together. Besides, I was in Dubai for 3 weeks while you were holding down the fort, you need some time to yourself and I need some Mommy time with our babies. I'm taking the rest of the week off to spend with them. I'll take them to their prep class on Thursday but otherwise, we're out of daycare for the next three days. And frankly, hon, I can't stand the thought of flying anywhere!"

"The no flying makes sense, a week is enough to beat jet lag but not to forget all those hours in the air. Your plans sounds like fun, maybe I'll stay home too. Can't count on Gibbs changing his mind, you know once he makes a decision…"

"I know, but he said that at work. I'm banking on him feeling differently when the two of you talk privately."

Tim tilted his head, "It's possible. I wondered if he was thinking about his dad, missing him. I thought about reminding him of his dad's friend and Boss's namesake, LJ Moore, who's also a WWII vet, but the squad room didn't seem the appropriate place. I'll say something tonight."

"Good! Dinner's almost ready."

"Great, what are we having?"

She grinned, "Our favorite, spaghetti and meatballs, with a veggie salad and garlic bread." She laughed at his expression, "Don't be too impressed! The meatballs were frozen in a bag, the veggie salad came in a bag and so did the garlic bread. I am heating the pasta sauce, that came in a jar, with the meatballs and cooking the spaghetti noodles, those came in a box and the salad dressing is in a bottle. However, we do have a freshly grated mix of Romano and Parmesan cheese, no box or bag for either."

He grinned, "And you're putting it all together, sounds yummy. I'll go change, be back to set the table and corral the twins."

With a quick kiss, Tim disappeared to wash away the day and change out of his federal agent clothes. Then he gathered the kids, carrying a giggling child under each arm, to the kitchen. He was in love with his life, his wife and children, his surrogate father, his siblings, his extended family and friends, his in-laws and his job. Sure, there were a few bumps to deal with but they were just that, bumps.

He loved their new home, even though they'd lived in it a year now he still thought of it as new, and was thankful that his friends Bill, Jose and Freddie had worked with Gibbs to make it an accessible home for Dee.

Putting the kids on their feet, the three of them got busy setting the table. Morgan and Johnny carried the place mats Daddy handed them, carefully placing them on the table. Next came the silverware, Tim brought the forks and the kids carried the spoons and napkins, putting one of each on each place mat. The bread came sliced, buttered and garlicky, the meatballs could be cut with a fork, Dee would have broken the spaghetti noodles into smaller pieces before cooking, the salad wouldn't need cutting, no knives were needed.

Next were the plates and the children carried those while Tim poured beverages for each of them. Milk for his son and daughter, a glass of wine for his wife and he would have iced tea. As he reached for the pitcher of his favorite raspberry tea, he changed his mind, reaching instead for a smaller pitcher of decaffeinated tea. He'd had enough caffeine for the day. The wine was tempting but Gibbs would probably offer him a beer and he'd rather have that. Maybe.

Their spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread and vegetable salad was delicious and the four of them enjoyed every bite, talking more about what they'd done that day. Tim handled the cleanup with help from his children. Dee relaxed, chatting with her husband and kids while they, as she put it, cleaned up her mess.

After dinner, they had family time, playing together in the backyard and then inside for a few more minutes. After that, it was time for their nighttime routine: baths, stories, cuddles and bed.

With the twins' busy day they asked for just two stories tonight, one read by Mommy and the second one told by Daddy. Cuddles generally happened before and during story time with more cuddles after Daddy finished telling them the new parts of his story. The two climbed into their toddler beds, made for them by Poppy, and were tucked in by both parents with goodnight kisses.

Dee looked at the time after they'd tucked the kids in, "You'd better go if you don't want to be over there all night! Here, take the rest of the garlic bread. At least it's food!"

Tim smiled, "We ordered in today, he had a roast beef sandwich and an apple."

"Good! You should order in everyday then." Dee rolled her eyes, "I know, when you have a case you either eat on the fly or from that vending machine."

Her husband shook his head, "Not so much anymore! We either stop on the way back if we're out or order delivery. That new deli delivers and they make great salads and sandwiches."

"That's good to know."

"All right, I'm going. Love you, I'll be back in an hour or so."

She smiled, "Love you back. No rush. I'm reading a book I thought I'd deleted from my tablet by mistake. I started it on the plane home, then it disappeared. I found it buried in a folder I didn't realize I still had. Now I'm trying to get back into the story."

Tim chuckled, "Been there, done that! See ya!"

Taking his car, he was at Gibbs' house in less than 10 minutes. That was another great thing about their house, it was closer to Gibbs' home, the Navy Yard and a much easier commute for his wife.

Opening the front door, he called out, "Hey Boss."

"I'm in here, c'mon in."

Entering, he stopped when he saw the grill. Holding it up, he said, "Thanks! I don't know if we'll actually go but at least we'll be prepared!"

"Steaks will be better if they're marinated."

"Gonna grill them for enchiladas."

"Torres get you involved?"

Tim chuckled, "Yeah, after I got him involved translating for me. You sure you don't want someone to go with you?"

"Been thinking about that, Tim. We haven't had much time together in the last few months. Think you could get away for a few days? I'm flying over with Secretary Porter and Vance. They'll fly into Pearl-Hickam and then they're going on to Japan and Singapore. There's plenty of room for Dee if she can take the time and the kids, of course."

"Awesome, the Gulfstream! Yes, I'd love to go with you. Dee and I already talked about the possibility. She wants to spend the rest of the week at home with the kids and feels I should have some time to myself after her weeks in Dubai. I'd like to go and I've never been to Hawaii, at least not that I remember. Will I be allowed to attend the ceremony?"

"Yes, I already arranged that, just in case. Bring a suit, your badge and ID. And your snorkeling gear because we're staying at a hotel right on the beach, Leon recommended it. The ceremony is Friday morning but I decided to go early and stay over the weekend. That okay with you? Director said if you want to go he'll take the team off rotation. Tomorrow and Monday, our flight days, won't go against our Personal Leave. We'll have Thursday, Saturday and Sunday on our own. Thursday is a leave day. Team's off this weekend."

Tim laughed, "Let's see, do I mind a free trip to Hawaii, hmm, that's a tough decision. Of course I don't mind and as Dee said, I do need some time off. Are we flying back commercial?"

"After being Single Dad for 3 weeks, got that right! And no, we're catching a DoD flight home, that's one of the reasons I decided to stay the weekend. Pam Cook said the SecDef won't be on the flight." Gibbs tilted his head, "It's not free, the agency will pay for 2 nights at the hotel and meals. We'll be there 5 nights total."

"Sounds good and it was Single Dad with lots of help from Poppy, Grama Lu, Granducky, Aunty Breena, Uncle Jimmy and the Baltimore Uncles! All right, I'll meet you here in the morning and then leave my car."

"Nah, no need to do that, I'll swing by, pick you up, drop you home when we get back."

"Great, thanks! Then I don't need this." As he picked up the grill to put it away, Tim turned, "Meant to ask if you've talked with Mr. Moore lately?"

Gibbs gave him a warm smile, "Called him today, thanks for thinking of him. He's doing well, promised to have lunch with us sometime soon. Told him about Smith, said he was glad we found the proof for Smith but grateful he didn't have to watch anything like that. I asked him if he'd like to go to Pearl but he said no, he'd said enough goodbyes." He paused, "I have an idea about that grill. We don't have to check in for the flight until 10. We pick up the ashes and swing by the office, you give Nick the grill while we tell them you're going to Pearl with me and then we get out of there, fast!"

Tim chuckled, "Works for me!"

Gibbs sat quietly before saying, "Have a few minutes?"

"Sure." Tim sat on the sofa, looking at his mentor and father figure, something each had acknowledged in the months and years since their shared captivity in Paraguay. Even if it wasn't always evident at work, it was there, underneath their federal agent personas. Sometimes it did manifest at work, when they needed to talk about the team or a case, it was somewhat easier now, at least for Tim. While they argued, Gibbs had also begun to listen to his SFA rather than blowing him off or shutting him down and Tim, knowing he had the man's respect, was not afraid to disagree with him.

Now, slowly, Gibbs began to speak, perhaps thinking through the words he wanted to say, "I want to tell you something about Joe. Something about me.

"What I saw in Kuwait, before that I was different.

"It took something from me, that's what war does.

"Sometimes I think if my girls had been there when I got home, maybe they wouldn't have recognized me. Maybe there wouldn't have been enough of me left for them to hang on to.

"Maybe the best of me was gone.

"You come home and you're like half a person.

"The other half of you is still back there where at least it made sense.

"Where even with the bullets, the blood, the chaos, you knew what mattered.

"You knew that the guy next to you was willing to die for you and you for him.

"And you look around and think, it shouldn't take a war to make the world that simple."

Tim sat, stunned, too moved to respond. And really, what was there to say or do? The simplicity and depth of the words, the raw emotion, he needed to absorb it all. Jethro looked at his surrogate son, frowning at the moisture in his eyes. "Tim, I didn't, I never asked my dad and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have talked about it if I had. Joe wouldn't have if I hadn't forced the issue. LJ didn't want to, when I asked him. I told him what little I knew about my dad's service, you remember that German pilot who saved him? There were a couple other things I heard over the years and then LJ opened up some, told me a little about his time. He's 95 too, same age as Smith. He signed up when he finished high school and turned 18 in'43. Like Jack, he already knew how to fly a plane so he went right into the U.S. Army Air Corps with my dad, although they were separated. LJ trained in Tuskegee and flew with theTuskegee Airmen. I never knew, Dad never even said.

"People don't know, unless they've been, they'll never know, never be able to understand. So we don't talk about it. There's no frame of reference - and that's a good thing. Except when it comes to calling for another war."

Tim was wiping his face with a baby wipe and Jethro couldn't help a rusty chuckle at the familiar smell.

Trying to find the words to tell him how much it meant that he'd shared his thoughts, his feelings, Tim knew wouldn't need to say much, Gibbs would understand. Finally he said, "Thank you for sharing with me. I knew it was bad but your words shed more light than speeches, books, monuments. When the twins are old enough, I hope you'll share with them, too, also about LJ, your dad and Joe Smith."

Gibbs nodded his agreement adding, "I'd like to continue to honor Joe, just as we honor Mike's buddy."

That was a young man who fought alongside Mike Franks in Vietnam, dying in the jungles there. When the Vietnam War Memorial, the Wall, opened, Mike was there and he returned every Veteran's Day to say hello to his lost friend. One of Mike's last requests was that Jethro continue to visit the Wall each Veteran's Day to honor his buddy. Jethro had promised, adding that he would also tell Tony and Tim the story so they would carry on the tradition.

After Mike's murder, when Gibbs told DiNozzo and McGee, Tim wrote the story of Mike's friend, including Franks and his connection to Gibbs and thus to Anthony DiNozzo, Jr. and Timothy McGee, although the only name he mentioned was the young man killed in Vietnam. Jethro felt immeasurably better after that, knowing they'd pass on the tradition and the people and their reasons about it.

He didn't know it yet but Tim had dedicated his most recent book, to be released soon, to Mike's friend as well as Mike, Tobias Fornell, another Vietnam vet, and Jethro. Again, he hadn't used their names, except for the buddy, but they'd know when they read it.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Reluctant to leave, he and Jethro spent close to another hour together before they reminded themselves they would have 13 ½ hours to talk on the jet tomorrow as well as the rest of the week. They exchanged hugs before Tim left, leaving the grill. If Boss brought it tomorrow, great, if not, Torres was off the hook.

On his way home, he sent Pam Cook a text, apologizing for the lateness of his request, adding that he was going to Hawaii with Gibbs so would need to be added to the flight manifest and have a hotel room reserved, which he was perfectly willing to do himself, although he didn't know the name of the hotel. By the time he got home, he had a reply from Pam with a laughing emoji. Gibbs had already booked 2 seats both ways and he'd also asked for a 2nd hotel room with a Cal King bed, preferably adjoining his room or if that wasn't available, a room with two beds, one a queen, the other a Cal King. Pam said that Tim's room would adjoin Gibbs' and he'd have a Cal King bed. Tim replied, thanking her and including an emoji of a bouquet of flowers. He smiled to himself, he and Gibbs should send her a bouquet, one with real flowers, in the morning. He'd send Dee a bouquet, too.

Dee was happy he was going after all, saying she thought he and Gibbs needed to spend time together and that she was relieved Gibbs wasn't going by himself. She shook her head, "I'm amazed he's actually taking days off, that's great! Is he changing at work?"

Tim tilted his hand, "A little. He doesn't yell as much as he used to and the head slaps are gone, as far as I remember, since Tony left but he's just as intense and focused. And that's how he should be, as the Team Lead for the top team in the agency."

"Oh I see. So when he retires and you step up, you'll be the new 'functional mute'?"

They both laughed at that.